May 22, 2021 - Pastor Message
04/25/2024THE YEAR OF ST. JOSEPH THE WORKER (cont.)
“That I may come to the altar of God, to God, my joy, my delight. Then I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God. Why are you downcast, my soul? Why do you groan within me? Wait for God, for I shall again praise him, my savior and my God” (Psalm 43:45).
Throughout the month of May we have been reflecting on the dignity of work for Christians, exemplified in the work of St. Joseph, who offered his work in the service of Jesus. We at St. Boniface are called to offer our work for Jesus, whatever that work may be. Most obviously, we are called to offer our work in Christ’s service through our parish ministries. We have many ministries here, something for everyone, though obviously there are always more needs and more gifts to meet them than can be contained in any single list, and I encourage you, if you see a need in our community and envision a ministry we don’t currently have to meet that need, to come talk to me and get that ministry started. Every ministry is vital to helping our parish grow, and we need to thank everyone who gives their time and talent in the work of our parish ministries.
Some of the most visible ministries we have are liturgical ministries. Our greeters, ushers, readers, Eucharistic ministers, and choir all help us to celebrate the center of our life as a parish at Mass every weekend. With Covid19 restrictions relaxing, I hope everyone involved in those ministries will return and resume their service to Christ and our community if you have not already done so. I also want to thank the Covid19 helpers who have answered the call to make public Masses possible during the pandemic.
In a special way, though, I would like to focus this weekend on our altar servers. For many people, including yours truly, altar service is the gateway to further ministry in the Church. It is the first ministry that young people can personally take part in, though they may help with other ministries, such as the liturgical environment team, before that. But altar service is its own ministry, where the young people of our parish carve out their own niche and take their place among the adults as disciples and servants of Christ.
That’s why I urge parents to encourage your children to prayerfully consider being altar servers. In truth, I can celebrate Mass just as well without servers as I do with servers. But Mass, while valid and effective, misses something important without altar servers. It misses the visible service of the young people of our parish on the altar, the place where Christ becomes present for us and with us. He doesn’t just do that for the adults; he becomes present for and with all of us, including our young people. The presence of our servers on the altar, actively helping to make Christ present, enhances the sacramental presence of Christ for all of us.
We will have altar server training for anyone who has received their first Holy Communion after all Masses this weekend. If your son or daughter has received their first Holy Communion, please encourage them to be altar servers. If you cannot get them to the trainings this weekend, please contact me, and I will be happy to schedule a personal training session. The more young people from the parish we can get serving on the altar, the better, for them and for all of us. Thank you to all of our altar servers. Your work does not go unnoticed and is most appreciated. May your example inspire all of us to greater service of Christ ourselves in all the ministries of our parish springing from the lifegiving Spirit Christ has given to his Church.
Fr. Marc Stockton
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